Replacing Dix: NDP proposes May, 2014 leadership vote

NDP leader Adrian Dix plans to stay in the opposition leader's seat for the spring session of the B.C. legislature.

The provincial executive of the NDP has proposed May 25, 2014 for a leadership vote to select a replacement for Adrian Dix.

The party executive picked the date, almost exactly three years before the next scheduled B.C. election, to avoid municipal elections set for next fall and a federal election expected in 2015. That is to make it more practical for municipal politicians and MPs to consider whether they want to jump to provincial politics.

Dix announced in September he would stay on as leader until a successor is chosen, and at the time he said that would take place before the middle of next year. The May vote was picked after discussions with the party’s current MLAs and local constituency presidents, but it still must be approved by the NDP provincial council.

No candidate has formally announced, but several are considering a run. They include veteran Port Coquitlam MLA Mike Farnworth, who finished second to Dix in 2011, and caucus newcomers Judy Darcy, George Heyman and David Eby, all of whom represent Vancouver constituencies. Vancouver Island MLA Rob Fleming and Skeena-Bulkley Valley MP Nathan Cullen have also said they are weighing their chances.

Juan de Fuca MLA John Horgan, who finished third behind Dix in the 2011 vote, announced last week he will not make another run for the top job. Horgan said he wants to see a new generation of leadership get the attention of members after the party’s upset loss in the May 2013 election.

The B.C. NDP’s next party convention is set for Nov. 15-17 in Vancouver.